Bleacher rest member



April 5, 1932. .1A e. PATTERSON BLEACHER `RES-T MEMBER Filed May 1e, 1930 2 sheets-sheet pfil 5, 1932. .'1. B. PATTERSON' 1,852,128

' BLEACHER REST MEMBER f Filed May 1e, 195o l 2 sheets-sheet 2 nl mnu nur; 4

lllll H uuml uh ATTRNEY Patented Apr. 5, 1.932V

Tas.

.roi-1n B. PATTERSON, on conny, PENNSYLVANIA i y BLnAoHnn nnsfr Min/nalin.r

Application file-d May 16,

This invention pertains Vto an improvement in portable or knock-down seats or bleachers, and'more particularly in bleachers of the circus-'seat type wherein independently removable rest members are used in tiers and supported-by a collapsible or'knock-do-wnskeleton frame including inclined stringere' or beams. In the old structures known to me the rest m-embers comprising independent seat and foot boards, are usually placed in overlapping relation at their ends and held loosely in place on brackets or hangers se` cured to the stringers. The obj ect of the present invention is to provide quickly detachable means for securing the abutting ends of two rest members together and at the same time connect the same pivotally or with a limited free play to a supporting bracket or hanger on an inclined Stringer or beam orming-a part of the skeleton structure'or bleacher trame. A strong and durable attachment for the rest members is thereb arovided and the connections thus made serve to brace and strengthen the upper part of' the structure as a whole and to distribute the load uni-` formly to the trestle work or acks used at spaced intervals to support' the inclined stringers. The means for locking the rest members to the Stringer brackets or hangers is also constructed in a particular way to prevent accidental disconnection of the parts, although madeA to detach easily7 when manually operated, all as herein shown and described and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. l is a side elevation of a portable bleacher embodying my improvement, and Fig. 2 is a sectional view vertically through the same looking rearwardly from line 2-2of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged top or plan view of two seat boards hinged together and also pivotally connected to a supporting bracket mounted upon a Stringer or beam, and Fig.

'4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 3,

showing the same parts. F ig. 5 is a sectional View on line 5-5 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 6 a front edge view of the seat boards and the Vsupporting bracket looking inwardly from line 5-5 of Fig. 1l. Fig. 7 is a perspective 1930. seriai No5-152.953.

view of' one ofthe hingermembersallxedto? one end' ofa seat board. y f

The ble'acher delineated' in'- Figs. 12 andf 2' corresponds closely to the structurey showny and described'in my co-pending application` Serial No. l52,952, except' for the board'fseats and'brackets surmounting the inclined string.- ers or beams A. Thus, separate sets of trestle units, each composed of: a plural. number off jacks B mounted on longitudinally-extending sleepers Cv serve to support alseries of' stringerev or beamsA in the same inclined plane. The tops of the stringers onbeams A. are provided at spaced. intervals with a plurality of upright brackets D to support separate removablel seat boards E while 'other brackets or hangers F are suspended from the bottom face ofthe stringerto support foot boards G. The jacks B in the respective rows of trestle unit-s, from front to rear'ofV the structure, are coupled together bytie rods I-, and with thepresent improvement allg-or any desired number oflstringers A are connected together longitudinally of the structure, .that is, parallel with the sleepers C, therebyconnecting the upperends of the jacksin each row together and thusV bracing and connect'-` ingv the successive trestle unitsv placed endv to` end in eaclrrow.`

Thus, each'inclined Stringer A is; provided at its upper edge or top withuprightbrackets D, each oneor any givennumber of which include ahorizontal member2 of metal riveted at one end to the side flanges 3 ofthe Stringer or'I-beam A, theopposite or front end 4 being bent Vat an angle andriveted to= a vertical'member or leg 5 also affixed by rivets to Stringer A. The. upper end of leg 5 eX- tendsfupwardly beyond the horizontal member 2.and is provided with an elongated. or key openingf adapted to permitithe flattened or widened extremity 7 of' a hingepin or rod 8 to be inserted therethrough. An angular plate of. metal 9'having asimilarkey openfing l() is secured to therearforinneriend ot horizontal member 2, whereby. the rear eX- tremity Z of hinge pin 81 may` beinsert'ed through plate 9 andk interlocke'd therewith. That'` is, the pin will'` beJ locked. against with-- dra-wal whenthepin isrotated a quarter of 100 3lV-therethrough. The

,sitting at t-hat place.

A hinge connection is obtained by providing the end portions of two abutting seat boards D-D with complementary hinge members or connecting yokes 11, each of which is of U-shape to receive and rcover the wooden board and to permit bolts or rivets 12 to be used to fasten both legs or sides Vof eachyoke to, the board. These hinge or yoke members cover substantially the entire width of the board and also a substantial part thereof inwardly fromA the'end edge to re-enforce y and protect the same Yand to preventv warping and splitting.r Each yoke 11 includes an end connecting wall which is cut atuniformrly spaced intervals and the stock pressed in opposite directions alternately to provide semi-circular or oval-shapedA hinge loops lil-14 adapted to permit the flattened end of the connecting rod or hinge pin 8 to pass outwardly extending loops 14 on each hinge or yoke member may be nested within the inwardly pressed loops 14 of the other member, and the hinge pinr or connecting rod 8 may be readily inserted through the nested portions to lock them pivotally together, as seen in Figs. 3 and 5. The weight of the board and its load is carried by the fiat horizontal rest member 2 of the bracket, and the union between all the parts is suf- ;iciently free and loose vertically to permit rotatable movement of the hinge members and vertical play in respect to the hinge pin or rod 8. The seat'boards, however, are thereby connected at their opposite ends to each other and also to two stringers, either closely or remotely related as may be predetermined by the lengthvof the board employed. Also, by. providing a connection for the seat boards, as described, the boards will rest in the same plane at the joint, and the flat yoke members and the rounded hinge connection permit the boards to be occupied directly above the joint without risk of injury to the clothing or discomfort to the person The bleacher structure is also stabilized and braced more rigidly as a wholeI by employing such a device, whether embodied in a bleacher of the kind shown and described in my companion application here referred to, or if incorporated in a similar knock-down structure. Also, and obviously, the foot boards G and hanger brackets I-I may be constructed and connected together in the same way as the seat boards E and brackets D, and the term rest member as used herein designates either a seat board or a foot board.

What I claim, is:

l. A bleacher, comprising a skeleton supportingframe, and horizontal rest members having interengaging loop portions at their :ffends and secured in tiers detachably to said ffl-me.

2. In a bleacher, inclined stringers having brackets, horizontal rest members having looped end connections, and means for couv pling said e-nd connections and simultaneously securing said members detachably to said brackets. Y Y

'3. In a bleacher, an inclined stringer having a bracket affixed thereto, horizontal rest ymembers having complementary yoke members at their abutting endsand means for securing said complementary ryoke members to each other and said bracket.

4. In a bleacher, a pair of horizontal rest members having looped connections, a. bracket adapted to support said rest members jointly attheir loopedconnections, and locking means Vfor securing said rest members detachably to said bracket.

5. In a bleacher, a pair of horizontal rest tending through said openings and loop portions to connect the parts together with loose play therebetween.

7. YIn a bleacher, a Stringer havingy a bracket mounted thereon, a pair of rest members having U-shaped re-eno-rcing members se cured to their abutting ends and formed with internesting loops, and a connecting pin detachably secured to said loops and said bracket. y

8. In a bleacher, a stringer having a bracket, a pair of rest members having .complementary members formed at their ends with internesting loops, and a removable connecting pin for said members having a locking connection with said bracket.

[n testimony whereof I affix my signature.

J OI-IN B. PATTERSON. 

